


Dizzy, the little storyteller

by R_RK



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: A little injury, F/F, Not really graphic, Some Swearing, Storytelling Time!!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 13:34:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12795654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_RK/pseuds/R_RK
Summary: Dizzy tells the story of her two moms.





	Dizzy, the little storyteller

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing unfortunately.  
> I prompted this to Heart-Seoul-Soshi, but couldn't resist writing. But it just went on and on and would just NOT finish. Any mistakes are my own, so please point them out so I can look over them. Some feedback would really be appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> I just noticed that the way Dizzy pounces on Evie is similar to The Uncertainty of Darkness on fanfiction.net

It was a beautiful day in Auradon, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping…..

 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” a banshee was....screaming….???

 

No, it was little Dizzy Tremaine, who threw herself out of the limo driving her - before it even pulled to a full stop- into the waiting arms of Evie.

“Eeeeeeeevie!!!!” she squealed utterly beside herself with excitement.

“Oof ! It’s great seeing you too Dizzy.” Evie wheezed trying to regain the breath that was being squeezed out of her.

“I’m so excited, I can’t believe I’m here, I can’t believe _you’re_ here, I just know that this is going to be so much fun, I can’t wait to see everything here I JUST REALLY CAN’T, AHHHHHHHH!!!”

The high-pitched noise, that should not have come from such a small person, caused everyone in the vicinity to flinch. The marching band even fumbled with their instruments, almost dropping them, earning a scolding look from Fairy Godmother, despite grimacing herself.

“Alright, munchkin, I think everyone here _reaaaally_ enjoys hearing, so let’s not steal it from them, no matter what _we_ think about stealing in general.” That dry voice effectively put an end to the ungodly screech that Dizzy was still emitting.

It came from an unimpressed Mal standing next to Evie with her arms crossed, completely unaffected, having gotten a little _too_ used to it back on the Isle.

“Oh, hey Mal.” Dizzy barely even looked at her, still holding Evie in a death grip.

“Well this is familiar. Come on, let go of E, we all like her in one unbruised piece,” Mal said pulling her off Evie, whose face was beginning to match her hair even though she didn’t look like she minded the hug at all.

“Thanks M,” Evie told her in an undertone, finally able to breathe again.

Mal just imperceptibly nodded her head, releasing Dizzy when she was sure she wouldn’t just erupt again. Evie took her in a much gentler hug, making sure to give her an extra squeeze, before letting her go.

“Well looks like _someone_ ’s a little excited.” Evie put her hands on her shoulders, crouching a little to be more at her eye level.

Dizzy eagerly nodded her head so fast, she might have lost it if it weren’t attached to the rest of her.

“A little,” Mal scoffed, disbelieving. “Yeah, just like you like designing just a little and this kind of party makes me want to burn everyone to a crisp just a _little._ ” She pinched her fingers together but stopped herself with a warning look from Evie.

A light hand clap interrupted them. Ben, with his hands resting together, finally stepped forward to offer Dizzy a hand. “Welcome to Auradon little miss Dizzy Tremaine. I’m-”

“King Ben,” she interrupted him awestruck, finally getting to meet the king who did what should have been done years ago.

“Well, you obviously know me.” Ben was clearly, pleasantly surprised. “Okay then, you don’t need too many introductions right away, but I think I have some exciting news. Evie and Mal will be giving you a tour of Auradon Prep.”

Everyone braced themselves for the inevitable ear damaging screech to come, but thankfully Mal- having anticipated it- put her hand over her mouth, resulting in a less piercing high-pitched whistle.

Fairy Godmother intervened before anymore chaos was unleashed. “It’s so nice to meet you, little one. We hope to make this a home for you, but I have no doubt that Evie, Mal, Jay and Carlos will help you with anything you need.”

“Wait, where _are_ Carlos and Jay?” Dizzy asked, noticing that the boys in question, were nowhere to be found.

“They wanted to make it, Dizzy, but they have fencing practice,” Evie reassured her. “And between you and me, they need to teach the rest of the team some good ole Isle sword fighting, cause these kids really don’t know how to actually fight. Except Lonnie, _she_ is scary,” she added in a whisper, giving her a little wink, making the little girl giggle adorably. “But don’t you worry, they didn’t forget you, they’ll be meeting us for lunch,” Evie continued, booping her gently on the nose.

“ _Yeaaaah_ , I don’t think she’s really worr-” Mal got the breath knocked out of her with an elbow to the ribs, courtesy of Evie. She threw her a small pained glare that was studiously ignored.

Fairy Godmother clapped her hands, unceremoniously glossing over the whole pandemonium happening. “Well everyone it’s time to get back to your classes. Go on, go on. And Evie, Mal I trust you have this handled from here.”

“Of course,” they chorused together.

“Wonderful, wonderful. Because I have some urgent manners to attend to.” She marched off on a trek to her office.

“Yeah, I have to go too,” Ben chimed in, hurriedly looking at his watch. “Bye girls. I hope you like it here little Dizzy,” he hastily threw over his shoulder, looking harried as he brusquely marched off.

The girls waved back at him without him noticing, knowing that any goodbye would be ignored.

“What was _that_ about Mal?” Dizzy questioned her.

“What?” Mal was understandably confused by the seemingly unrelated question.

“I know it never existed on the Isle, but we _do_ still get some TV and we saw you ‘dating’ him,” she drawled, air quotes and all, “aren’t you supposed to be all close and kissing goodbye?”

“Oh.” Mal breathed deeply, feeling a familiar hand resting on her shoulder in comfort. “We broke up, Diz.”

“What, why?” Was the surprised answer.

Mal thought of all the pressures heaped on her, of the complete dampening of her personality to accommodate people that didn’t deserve it, of the misunderstandings especially as it grew obvious he would never _really_ understand her, of the suffocating expectations unfairly imposed on her. Of the dresses and the magic and the etiquette.

“We just grew apart,” she settled on before she could spiral into more bitter thoughts.

“Well, Evie, didn’t you mention a special someone the last time we met?” Dizzy moved the attention to Evie who, still stroking Mal’s shoulder, froze at being so suddenly addressed. It was Mal’s turn to grip her hand which she rubbed in soothing little circles.

“Ah, well, I’m single too,” she hesitantly replied as though tasting the words for the first time, and finding them unfamiliar.

“Who was it anyway?” Dizzy decided to push a little more.

Instead of replying, Evie just pointed to Doug who was leaving with the band.

“Huh. He doesn’t look like your type.” She couldn’t help but voice her thought.

“Why? Just because he isn’t a prince!” Evie couldn’t stop the defensive tone from creeping into her voice no matter how much she tried to restrain it.

“No, no, no. That wasn’t it at all,” Dizzy hastened to say.

“Well, who _is_ my type than, little missy,” she teased a little, seeing the girl’s panicked face.

Dizzy tried _really_ hard not to glance at the purple haired dragon still gripping Evie’s hand.

“I wouldn’t know,” she smoothly denied. “Anyway, shouldn’t you start showing me around. I’m so excited to see EVERYTHING!” She finally regained her energetic enthusiasm.

The girls allowed themselves to be pulled forward even though she obviously wouldn’t know where to go, sharing fond looks.

 

They managed to show her everything outside; the Tourney field, the lunch tables, the gardens, she even had a blast looking at the Beast’s statue- he was never remembered, well, _fondly_ by any Villain Kid. But they had to convince her the statue did not need any colorful paint, no matter how tempted they were to unleash her on it.

They were able to get to the corridor leading to the dorms, where they met Lonnie decked in fencing gear clearly headed to practice. She stopped short at the sight of the unfamiliar little girl between her friends, curiosity getting ahold of her. She silently wondered what one had do to get sprinkled with paint splotches from head to toe, as she headed towards their three-person parade.

“Hey Mal, Evie. Good to see you,” she greeted first before turning to the new face among them. “And just _who_ is this little cutie,” she asked, addressing the last to a giggling Dizzy.

“Well this is-” Evie started to answer, but didn’t get very far.

“This is just Evie’s daughter from the Isle,” Mal interrupted with a sneaky smirk on her lips.

Lonnie froze in surprise, having been completely caught off guard. “Ummm, aren’t you a little…” she trailed off not knowing how to continue when she turned to Evie.

“She isn’t my daughter,” Evie firmly corrected, shooting Mal a dirty look that promised vengeance. Mal just wickedly grinned back at her. “Dizzy this is Li Lonnie, daughter of Mulan. And Lonnie this is Dizzy Tremaine, daughter of Drizella Tremaine,” she announced pushing said girl a little forward to introduce herself.

“Hi!” Dizzy chirped flashing a smile bright enough to blind.

“Hi.” Lonnie blinked back, taken aback that this little ray of sunshine was from the same dreary place she’d visited not too long ago. “But then why did Mal say…”

“That’s because Mal is a little sh-” Evie cut herself off, suddenly aware of Dizzy not even two feet away.

Mal burst out laughing. “Oh man, you’re still mothering her even now. I guess it’s good it never went too far into **_s_** mothering. Don’t you worry E, I was sure to teach her a couple things, myself.” She broke off not able to continue with how hard she was still laughing.

“WHAT!!!” Evie whirled on her. “What did you _DO_ , MAL BERTHA!”

“Bertha?” Lonnie asked in a murmur, though no one answered her.

Mal stopped laughing, her eyes flashing a sickly green. “What did we say about that name.”

“Oh no you don’t, you stopped scaring me ages ago. You’re going to tell me exactly what you ‘taught’ her.”

“Okay, first off, it was the Isle, I taught her some valuable skills, so she wouldn’t be completely defenseless. And second, what do you mean I stopped scaring you!” Mal got back to, in her opinion, the more important point in their conversation.  

“Oh please, you stopped scaring me the second you took a sleeping curse for me.”

As they continued to bicker, Lonnie stood transfixed to the side with a wistful beaming Dizzy next to her.

“Well I haven’t heard this in a while. I missed that too.” Dizzy sighed thinking of the many times the scene in front of her played out back when they were all still on the Isle.

“Were they always like this?” Lonnie asked her, still stupefied, like she was watching them grow several long brightly colored limbs and intertwine them to make rainbow bridges.

“Oh yeah, this is nothing,” Dizzy insisted, flapping her hand insouciantly. “Looks like you’ve never been around them for very long. I mean they’re not like Carlos and Jay, they keep their fights mostly verbal, but nothing ever serious. But usually, they get along like you’d never see.”

“Mostly?”

“Weeeell, they had no concept of personal space with each other. Still don’t, looks like.”

“Huh.” Lonnie hummed thoughtfully, a suspicion taking root in her head. They both turned back to the still fighting women who looked like their fight was just heating up.

“If you don’t quit while you’re ahead M, you’ll be sleeping on the floor!”

“You _wouldn’t._ ”

“Try me,” Evie dared her with a smug smile.

“You can’t kick me out of my own _bed._ ” Mal gawked at her incredulously.

“I could just lock you out of our room.”

“I have _magic._ ”

“Which you aren’t allowed to use.”

“When has that ever stopped me.”

“Well you don’t have your spell book anymore.”

“I’m Fae _and_ a dragon.”

And then they were off again.

“I’d better go break that up, they could go on for hours,” Dizzy lamented to Lonnie, feeling like the day would end with them accomplishing nothing.

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Lonnie shook her head, heading off to fencing practice, muttering something about oblivious Isle kids.

“Shouldn’t we continue the tour.” Dizzy put her hands between them interrupting the escalating fight.

Mal and Evie turned to her, having forgotten the original purpose of their little walk. They sheepishly nodded and led the way, with Dizzy in between. They made sure not to lose themselves in argument again, focusing on showing Dizzy around what could be a new happy home for all of them.

 

* * *

 

It had been a few weeks since coming to Auradon, and even though she still got lost sometimes, Dizzy felt safer than she ever did on the Isle. Maybe it was the lack of someone screeching at her, making her stay up at ungodly hours to man the salon and scrub her fingers raw cleaning, but Auradon was something out of a dream, and she always had to resist the urge to pinch herself.

Evie had been like a fairy godmother, there to help her with everything she needed, whether she was lost or needed company. Mal had been helpful too, a little softer than on the Isle but still very much her, telling her how to gradually be able to sleep on the soft beds where she was used to the floor, always there with her flashing eyes when someone sneered at her and upset her.

They both helped with the nightmares, because she was a little _too_ right: you could take the girl out of the Isle, but you couldn’t ever take the Isle out of the girl. And even though Dizzy was always closer to Evie, she found herself feeling closer and safer with Mal when she went to their room at nights, when Evie was too exhausted to wake, but Mal with her Fae blood, who got tired less, stayed up more often. Where the scariest thing around would be the literal dragon guarding her.

Mal might have been softer, her edges smoothed away a little and Evie even gentler, if it were possible. Still a whole lot like they were on the Isle, embracing her on nights where the nightmares loomed darker. That little piece of home was a comfort in the face of all the unfamiliar in Auradon, from having unrotten food, an actual bed, free time to do what she wanted and adults that weren’t aiming to pound her to dust.

She still hadn’t started classes yet, trying to adjust a little. Evie made sure of that, a new rule to bringing more VKs, because she knew how some kids would struggle, just like Mal. Though it didn’t mean she was bored doing nothing, no, she still spent a lot of her free time with the VKs, but especially with Evie and Mal.

She had been going to the library too, sometimes they had story time, and the only times she ever heard stories on the Isle was when Grandmother cursed Cinderella and when she got Evie to tell her some. She liked feeling like an actual kid hearing the stories she was never able to, though some things were obviously wrong.

"'And the big bad dragon was holding the princess in her tower against her will, trapping her from meeting her prince charming',” Jane read in a scared dramatic tone.

Jane was one of the volunteers at the library, Dizzy met her when she first started going there. Jane always tried to read stories for the kids who came for story time, though this time Dizzy seemed to be the only one there. Not that she officially met anyone, the kids always sat away from her, like she had a disease that they just couldn’t catch.

“But Jane that’s not true,” Dizzy cut her off, because that wasn’t what actually happened in her experience.

“What is it Dizzy, do you not like the story?” Jane asked her, concerned.

Lonnie, who was also a volunteer, stopped stacking books to look over at them, curious to see where this was headed.

“Well the dragon usually protects the princess from danger.”

“Where did you get that idea, Dizzy. The stories are usually about a dragon holding the princess prisoner.” Jane was very perplexed.

Lonnie finally decided to abandon her post and join them, having an idea what Dizzy was getting at.

“Well first not all dragons are bad. I heard Mulan had a dragon that helped her.” Dizzy turned to Lonnie for conformation.

“Mushu’s the best,” Mulan’s daughter heartily agreed, the little dragon was like a weird uncle- with a bit of an ego- that loved to spoil her.

Dizzy nodded satisfied and got back to her point. “See not all dragons are bad, so someone should change the fairytales. But yeah, dragons are very protective of their princesses. I mean, just look at Mal.”

“Mal?” Jane was finally starting to see her point, after all everyone at Auradon Prep knew not to mess with Evie unless they wanted to deal with Mal. No one wanted to deal with Mal. No one wanted to deal with Evie for that matter.

“Yeah, Mal was always _really_ protective of her gang, Evie most of all. Some of the others on the Isle fell for the whole ‘they’re mine and you don’t mess with mine’ act she had going on, but I knew better.”

“Really.” Lonnie leaned forward in interest eager to hear more.

“Umhmm. I never really understood why they’d start dating some stupid boys…” Dizzy stopped, turning a pleading look to them. “Please don’t tell King Ben I said that.”

“Our lips are sealed, but yours aren’t, so _spill_.” Lonnie was simultaneously reassuring and impatient, wanting to have her theory confirmed.

“Well since the second I met them, I felt there was something weird going on, like a whole bunch of words were waiting to be said, but just never were….”

 

* * *

 

_The Isle of the Lost_

_Dizzy heard the doors of the salon opening from where she was crouching behind the counter scrubbing the floor. Her Grandmother demanded they be polished till she could see her reflection. Dizzy honestly thought that no one should have to see **that**. Especially as the floor was covered with various paint splatters, all crawling towards each other to add color to the dreary Isle, all refusing to go away, like the rashes that were always spreading from person to person._

_She peeked her head out a bit, but felt her heart freeze upon seeing the infamous purple and blue hair colors. She ducked back under the counter and wondered why **she** was the one cursed with dealing with the daughters of two of the worst villains on the Isle. Two of the most notorious Villain Kids to walk the streets. Mal, daughter of Maleficent and Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen. Just those names were enough to send little crawling threads of dread down her spine._

_“Remind me what we’re doing here again,” Mal dryly asked._

_“We’re here because Mother does **not** tolerate split ends.” Evie shook the ends of her hair in response._

_“Alright, let me rephrase that. What am **I** doing here.” Mal was not amused, then again she was rarely sincerely amused in public._

_“Well **you’re** here, because you just can’t say no to me,” it was said with a haughty toss of her hair off her shoulder._

_“Yeah, no. No one bosses me around Princess.” She bared her teeth in a show of aggression._

_“Mhmm.” Evie hummed, nodding unconvincingly. “Let’s be fair here, I’m royalty so you’re obliged to do as I say.”_

_“I’m not obliged to do anything. Though I’m feeling very **obliged** to knock that crazy out of you.”_

_“Okay, one, you haven’t hurt me since we’ve gotten closer. And two if that were true, then why do you still listen to me,” she smugly pointed out._

_“Who ever said I listen to you,” Mal grumbled._

_Dizzy dropped her brush. That was Mal. **Mal.** Daughter of Maleficent **, Mal** , ruler of Dragon Hall, **Mal**. Mal with her quick fists and poisonous threats. Mal with her flashing acid eyes and her pointy ears. And she was almost **pouting.**_

_Unfortunately, the noise drew the two girls’ attention to her. She didn’t even have time to blink, before there was a sword clanging on the counter._

_“Whoever it is, if you don’t get out and face us, I’ll make it so whoever cleans here finds it **very** hard to pick up your pieces.” She heard Mal growl out._

_“Please don’t, because Grandmother makes me clean up everything and I don’t know if I **can** as a ghost,” she managed to squeak out._

_She peeked her head over the counter to be met with a sword to the nose and flashing eyes drilling holes into her skull. She flinched, not wanting to test the full effects of those eyes. She was struck dumb though, to see that Mal was shielding the blue haired princess with her arm._

_Said princess put a calming hand on the enraged girl’s shoulder. “Mal don’t scare the poor girl, she barely looks ten.”_

_“So!” Mal gritted her teeth, her hand tightening on the sword’s grip._

_“She probably works here. And put that sword away, you should have left it hidden since our skirmish with Uma and her sea dogs.”_

_Mal turned her glare on Evie, and Dizzy marveled at how the girl didn’t melt to the floor, but she just locked her jaw and locked eyes with Mal, until green eyes turned back to Dizzy almost thinned to slitted pupils- which should be impossible, but she'd heard the stories of Maleficent and her dragon form was spoken of with almost reverent fear, so Dizzy wouldn’t count anything out. Mal did drop the sword, though she kept her glare up and teeth out._

_Evie gently moved her aside, and again Dizzy wondered how that girl still wasn’t burned to a crisp. Her attention was snapped with a throat being delicately cleared and she turned to look at the safer option of the two._

_“Hi, sweetie. What’s your name?” Evie gently inquired, effectively stunning her. No one was kind on the Isle, so this had to be a trick._

_“Dizzy Tremaine, daughter of Drizella,” she warily answered, trying to find her angle._

_“That bitch reproduced?” Mal snorted, finally sheathing her sword. “And she had **you**. Don’t know who’s worse munchkin, your Mom or **her** Mom.”_

_“Mal!” Evie scolded, appearing scandalized, though not surprised._

_“What! I’m sure she’s heard worse!” Mal crossed her arms and turned away._

_She wasn’t exactly wrong. She was just the live-in maid. Her aunt was the only one who treated her decently. No one’s ever put it that bluntly, but she was very aware of her situation._

_“Sorry about her.” Evie turned to her, apologetic. She actually looked genuine, and while every survival instinct taught her not to buy into it, the look in those warm brown eyes matched her tone perfectly._

A genuine VK, who would’ve known, _Dizzy thought to herself._

_“Anyway, I need help with my hair. Is your Grandmother here?” she asked looking around the salon._

_“She isn’t. But I can do your hair if you want,” Dizzy was more than capable enough to do it._

_But the princess looked hesitant, clutching the ends of her blue hair almost protectively._

_“I’ve done this a whole bunch of times before so there’s nothing to worry about.” Dizzy reassured her with a bright smile splitting her face._

_Evie still appeared uncertain, even as she sat in the chair. “I **cannot** have anything happen to my hair,” she stressed with an almost manic gleam in her eye, worlds of pain chained around brown irises._

_“Don’t worry Evie, I’m sure little Dizzy won’t harm a single hair on your head. **Right** , munchkin?” Mal’s voice rang out from across the room like a gunshot, while her eyes glared a warning at Dizzy almost seeming to say _Or Else.

_Dizzy gulped. She did not want to know what the promises in those deadly eyes looked like._

_She got to work, extra careful about her every move lest she wake the sleeping dragon._

_“Well, how do I look?” Evie struck a pose._

_“You look gorgeous as ever.” Mal didn’t even look up from her sketchbook._

_“How would you know, you didn’t even look at me.” She put her hands on her hips, annoyed._

_“Would that actually make a difference?” The half- fairy continued drawing sharp lines with her pencil._

_“Do you even know what a haircut is for?” Evie was incredulous and frankly upset that an inanimate drawing was apparently trumping her in getting Mal’s attention._

_“Guess not. Still don’t get your fuss, you’ll look gorgeous either way. You always do.” Mal still didn’t bother glancing away from her work._

_Evie’s frown melted into a surprised smile, having not expected such sweet words to be casually dropped from Mal, who was known for her sharp fists and sharper tongue, and her aversion to all things cute and **nice**._

_Dizzy picked up the remnants of her jaw from the floor and wisely kept her mouth shut. Because even though Mal, daughter of Maleficent Mal, payed someone a **compliment,** with all casual ease, like she was throwing a punch and not pretty forbidden words- especially to the girl who was not that long ago her rival- Dizzy knew better than to provoke her. _

_“Alright, well Jay and Carlos are waiting for us at the hideout to scrounge for some furniture for the place. So lets go,” Evie finally let out and marched over to Mal, who slammed her sketchbook shut and stood up._

_“Thanks for the haircut Dizzy, you did an amazing job,” Evie told her sincerely and left payment on the counter, lacing her fingers with Mal, like it was as easy as breathing, and dragging her to the door._

_“See ya munchkin,” Mal carelessly called to her and sauntered off._

_Dizzy let out the breath she kept trapped in the bars of her ribcage since the moment she saw just **who** exactly her customers were. Every kid on the Isle knew of Mal, they especially knew of her ruthless gang of four that ruled the Isle- well their age group of the Isle. Almost everyone feared them._

_Mal, the ruthless leader, her mother’s daughter, with pointed ears, flashing eyes, a hint of horns peeking through her purple hair, and a hundred spells buried under her threats, no matter that there was no magic on the Isle. Mal, with her stomping boots, her flying fists, and her silver tongue._

_Evie, with a silken tongue said to charm snakes and a thousand knives hidden under her royal bearing, whispering sweet promises into your ears and stabbing you in the other. With her innocent eyes and her dark blue hair; the night sky with the gleaming stars, always hidden behind storm clouds, never to be seen from the Isle. Evie with her blood red lips and her poison apples and a million coercions buried in her eyes._

_Jay, the big burly thief, who could steal your meager possessions while stealing your heart in the process. With the charming smirk and gleaming eyes, with the straining arms and bloody knuckles, who knocked out anything to get in his way or that threatened the other three._

_Carlos, with the bruises under his eyes and his oversized jacket, who could take scraps of metal and turn them into a canon. With the sunken skin and messy hair. Who blew a hole through the barrier, all with science, all with his brain._

_And while the two girls she met were terrifying- well at least one of them- she felt like she met both the legends and strangers, completely different people from all the rumors. There was obviously more to them than that. It would be nice to know what that was._

 

* * *

 

“So that’s how you met them,” Lonnie said, completely fascinated.

“Yeah. Though it wasn’t until Evie kept coming back and we started bonding over fashion that we got closer. They started protecting me more, though they tried to make that less obvious.”

“How would they make that less obvious?” Jane asked completely puzzled.

“Well Evie could afford to care, Mal not so much. So, she always claimed that that area was her territory, so no one could bully me but her and her gang.”

“And they believed her?”

“Well no one really questioned Mal, except Uma and her crew. So, they were the ones who mostly bothered me. But she already fought with them, so it wasn’t ever suspicious if it got worse because of me.”

“So, you had Big Bad Mal to protect you, hmmm,” Lonnie noted, having kept mostly quiet until now.

“Well, it was Evie who really got involved at first, but then I guess like with most things, Mal got dragged into it. But really, they were like mothers to me, more than my own Mother anyway. Evie most of all.” Dizzy fondly remembered the times Evie fussed over her, while Mal just grunted a bit behind her and taught her how to throw a punch.

“Awwww, that’s so sweet.” Jane cooed, hands clasped together.

“To be honest Mal sounds more like a dad to me,” Lonnie observed thoughtfully, thinking about how her own father was sometimes.

“I wouldn’t know how a Dad sounds like.” Dizzy never really knew her Father and her Mother never told her about him.

“Well some dads are overprotective, grumpy and a whole lot threatening if you hurt their family in any way.”

“Huh, that does sound like Mal.” Dizzy hummed. “But like I said she protected Evie most of all…”

 

* * *

 

_The Isle of the Lost_

_“That was stupid.”_

_Dizzy heard a testy voice ring out in the back alley of the salon. She was scrubbing the floor, but she could still hear the voice. She stuck her head out the back door a bit, not willing to risk it if it was someone who was out to hurt her. She glimpsed two heads of blue and purple and immediately recognized Mal and Evie, with the former leaning on the wall appearing winded- with her hands holding her stomach and a bruise blossoming like both their hair colors on her forehead- and the latter ripping up old fabrics that might have been moldy clothes once upon a time- clothes with a habit of being very familiar with thorny walls._

_“That was incredibly stupid.” Evie continued to make little strips of fabric, taking Mal’s hands off her stomach to reveal a nasty cut painting Mal’s clothes with messy strokes of dark crimson._

_“Umhmm.” Mal appeared unconcerned, though trying very hard not to flinch._

_“That was so, so stupid.”_

_“Well I’m not the brains in this relationship.”_

_“That was reckless, and you shouldn’t have done it.”_

_“Sure.”_

_“This is serious Mal, and I expect you to not have those dumb jokes coming out of you, and to take this seriously!” Evie finally snapped her head up to glare furiously at Mal._

_“I am currently bleeding. Sooo, you really shouldn’t expect anything coming out of me but my **lovely** blood.” Mal appeared breathless, even while trying to adopt an unaffected tone. _

_“You shouldn’t have done it, M.”_

_“It’s done Evie, so I don’t really get why we’re still into this.”_

_“Because you are currently bleeding purple tinted blood on my hands!” Evie’s voice cracked even though she was obviously still furious, wrapping strips of fabric around Mal's abdomen._

_“Well you always wanted some more color in my wardrobe.”_

_“Still purple,” Evie got out through gritted teeth, looking on the verge of slapping her, injury or not._

_“Tinted. Mostly red though,” Mal piped up managing to look cheeky even with the pain._

_Dizzy crept a little further, trying not to disturb them, but morbidly fascinated by whatever happened. A little worried about Mal too, though she tried very hard to ignore that, because you don’t **care** on the Isle, even if she wasn’t ever good at being very, well… Isle like. She kept to the shadows and stayed light on her feet, something every Isle kid knew how to do._

_“They shouldn’t have said it, or I wouldn’t have decked them.” Mal finally broke the thick silence, echoing with only the rustling of cloth._

_“It wasn’t even that bad. You could’ve ignored them and walked away, and I wouldn’t have to wash your blood off my hands before going to bed tonight!”_

_“They called you a stupid tramp and asked if they could take you out for a little **ride.** No! They were **not** getting away with insulting you like that!” Mal clenched her jaw, her flashing eyes lighting the dark with promises of untold torture on those stupid enough to cross them._

_“They were four to one! Cause you kept me away from helping you!”_

_“Your mother wouldn’t have liked you covered in bruises. Besides I still kicked all their asses, even if one of them did surprise me. I won’t be letting my guard down again.”_

_“We’re on the Isle, Mal. You shouldn’t care. If word got back to your Mother, she’ll skin you alive, and I think she’ll actually do it.” Evie appeared anguished at the mere thought of it._

_“I claimed you, E. I claimed you, and I claimed Carlos and me and Jay claimed each other a while back. As far as anyone else knows, I’m protecting what’s mine. Because you don’t threaten what’s mine and expect to get away scot free,” Mal reassured her, though Dizzy thought that was bit crazy, since she was the one doing graffiti in a very original way._

_“Anyway, can you really imagine four grown men going to my Mother or having someone go to my Mother about her teenage daughter kicking their asses.”_

_Evie laughed reluctantly. “No, but they could still go to your Mother about you caring and defending someone else,” she still pointed out, thinking of all the horrible possibilities._

_“They’d still have to tell her what I did, and she’d ask to see who I fought. And they can’t really prove that I care. It’s their word against mine. My word might mean nothing to my mother, but it’s still better than those scum. Plus, I’ll make sure to pay them a little visit to convince them to keep quiet.” Mal appeared more dazed with every word she spoke, like the words were ragged and their edges were cutting her throat while she dragged them out. Dizzy was very worried she’d cough up some blood soon._

_Mal turned her head up, like she was expecting the sky to crack open and drop a flaming boulder on all of them, or maybe she was trying to spot the stars through the thick clouds always surrounding the Isle._

_“Thanks M. I might have been shouting at you, but I really appreciate it.” Evie finished wrapping her wound and stood, carefully helping her up. But she delivered her thanks with a little soft smile and a tender look in her eyes._

_Mal appeared even more dazed, if that were possible. “The gods picked diamonds and scattered them in the skies, and then they went and plucked the stars to sprinkle their dust in your eyes,” she slurred to her, almost drunk, or maybe it was the blood loss._

_Everyone in hearing range froze. They were suspended in disbelief._

_Evie stared at Mal stupefied, quite flustered. Opened her mouth a couple of times. Closed it. Found Mal might be a better thief then Jay. The breath effectively stolen from her._

_“How hard did they knock your head?” she finally managed to squeeze out of her burning lungs._

_Mal finally unfroze, turning and wobbling away. “We will never speak of this again,” she threw over shoulder, fleeing even with her bad injury impeding her._

_Evie unstuck herself from the ground and hurried after her. “Mal don’t strain yourself, you’ll bleed out faster!”_

_Their voices faded down the alley, and Dizzy finally escaped the shadows’ protective embrace._

_“When they say the night holds secrets, they weren’t kidding,” she muttered to herself, feeling like her Grandmother knocked her across the head with her dented pan._

_It was like she was seeing two doppelgangers of the girls she knew and at the same time, like she was seeing more of how they actually were. Like the Mal and Evie that visited the salon and that protected each other at night were closer to the real versions, than the ones stalking down the streets and conquering territories. The juxtapositions were giving her a headache, so she headed back inside to ruminate over what she just witnessed and try to stick all the jagged pieces into two messy people, tossing the pieces in her head until they fell into some semblance of a picture, messy but still very pretty._

* * *

 

 

“I always wondered if that made Evie hate red or her mother’s apples,” Dizzy mused. “Still not sure, I should be telling you all of this. Most of it, I heard because I was hidden, and they weren’t paying attention. This feels like an invasion of privacy.” She worried her little fingers together.

Everyone listening immediately protested.

“You can always tell them about it later. But please Dizzy, keep going, I haven’t heard something this romantic since, well _ever_ ,” Jane gushed, enraptured, with hearts in her eyes and her face in her hands.

“No, no, please do go on,” Lonnie insisted barely stopping her frantic scribbling on what appeared to be a notepad.

“Well they used to play with me when they could, or when I could. I used to beg Evie for bedtime stories, sometimes she came up with them and acted them out in front of me.” Dizzy remembered those times fondly. She laughed suddenly remembering something specific. “She made Mal help whenever she came with her, had her act all dramatic, actually made her be the prince or suitor sometimes.”

“No way,” Jane and Lonnie both breathed out at the same time.

“Even then?” Lonnie questioned, stunned. “Are they really so oblivious?”

“Oh, it was all un-un, what’s the word… unconscious, YES!” Dizzy clapped her hands in glee, proud to have remembered, causing the girls to smile at the adorable sight. “Mal really got into it and they were both so good together, it all felt real.”

 

* * *

 

_The Isle of the Lost_

_“Please Evie, please, please, please, please, pleaAAAAAASE!” Dizzy clutched at Evie’s jacket, hitting her with the full force of her puppy dog eyes._

_Evie couldn’t help but laugh, not putting up any actual protest. “Fine, fine, I’ll read you a story.”_

_“Can you act it out?” Dizzy jutted out her lip even more, further widening her eyes for full effect._

_“Oh, I don’t know, I would need a partner for that,” the blue haired girl pointedly stressed her words, approaching the fairy lounging on the ground with an arm thrown over her eyes._

_Mal peeked through her arm to see her best friend sensually walking towards her with a pout on her red lips and a promise in her eyes. She hastily re-covered her eyes to avoid the effects of that deadly look._

_“Oh, no, no, NO. I REFUSE to be a part of this. I don’t even know why I still come with you every time you come here.”_

_“That’s because you lo…, because you can’t resist my charm,” Evie teasingly called out, crouching next to her best friend, and running the tips of her fingers over Mal’s arm, hoping no one picked up on her almost slip._

_Dizzy watched all of this, still fascinated by them every time, but knowing the inevitable end of this conversation. Just like every other time._

_“Who put it in your head that you were charming,” Mal grumbled, stubborn, and holding on to her crumbling resistance._

_“Everyone, obviously. You especially.”_

_“I never said that.”_

_“You didn’t haaaave to.”_

_Dizzy could still not believe it, no matter how many times she’d seen it. Could not believe the tender way Evie smiled at Mal, because anything tender was crushed on the Isle. Could not believe the way Mal removed her arm, sighing, yielding to Evie every time – the unrelenting daughter of Maleficent, who yielded to no one. Could not believe the way they paused staring into each other’s eyes, like it was the first time, like they didn’t do it every time._

_This had no place on the Isle of the Lost, but Dizzy wished with all her heart that no one figure this out, except maybe Jay and Carlos, because if this was obvious to **her** , it must be spelled in neon paint to **them**._

_“Alright, I’ll start.” Mal got up, dusted herself off and held out a hand to help Evie off the floor. “But if anyone asks you enchanted me.” She pointed at Evie._

_“Sure, Mal. Evie did not point out that magic could not be used on the Isle and she absolutely did NOT think about the double meaning of ‘enchant’._

_“You ready?” She waited for Evie’s nod, before stepping back, dramatically clearing her throat and bowing low at the waist._

_“A beautiful Eve,” she began in a deep voice, “may it be as breathtaking as her namesake. Dear Princess, may you grant your humble servant the honor of a dance, though it is known that no one is deserving of your hand, not a prince and not this lowly peasant.” She held out her hand, with her head bowed to the ground and her other arm across her back._

_Evie quickly laughed, trying to cover up her surprise, but Dizzy saw that she was looking a little red in the face. She accepted the hand with a small curtsey. “You are no servant, my heart. This dance would bring me infinite joy, but we must hurry, my Mother should never find you here. I could not bear to lose you, if she were to see me associating with those beneath my station.”_

_“Never worry, Princess. You shall never lose me. I will be with you even in death’s embrace.” Mal finally lifted her head to gaze at Evie with a piercing look, double meanings buried under fancy words. Meanings Dizzy could guess at, but could never completely know._

_The stare lasted an eternity in the space between them, until they seemingly snapped out of it and began a graceful dance._

_Dizzy remembered being surprised that Mal knew how to dance at all, and how when she asked her about it, Mal had just shrugged and said that she wasn’t the only one who dreamed of fairytales. Dizzy wondered if she was talking about herself or about Evie._

_Even with no music, they made their dance look out of a fairytale, every step in-synch, ever look intense, every breath shared, until they slowed their pace, touched foreheads, and breathed together._

_Dizzy felt like she was intruding on a private moment as she watched them close their eyes and come to a halt. Magic was in the air, thick in the silence, defying the laws of the Isle. They laced their fingers together and opened their eyes halfway._

_“Princess, I am undeserving of your kindness.” Mal pressed a soft kiss to Evie’s knuckles._

_“My dear, you deserve the world.” Evie tenderly cupped her chin, smooth fingers caressing pale skin._

_“I already have it.” Mal rubbed their noses together and got gradually closer and closer, until…_

_THUD._

_The noise came from upstairs and seemed to break Mal and Evie from their spell._

_“I DON’T HEAR ANY WORKING, YOU LITTLE BRAT.”_

_Dizzy had never hated her Grandmother more than at this very moment._

_“I think we should go.” Evie seemed to have recovered, delicately clearing her throat, having created distance between her and Mal._

_“Alright.” Dizzy was very disappointed, feeling like something invaluable was missed and never wanting to yell at her Grandmother more. And even though this was the Isle, she still thanked them for the little play._

_“Lets not do this again, munchkin,” Mal still appeared ruffled, heading to the door and holding it open for Evie._

_They left, and this was the first time she ever saw them leave without at least holding hands. She would remember this and ponder on the treasure lost in the winds of her Grandmother’s screeches._

_“I’M NOT HEARING ANY CLEANING!”_

_“ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT,” Dizzy screamed right back at the ceiling._

_“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME.”_

_“Nothing, Grandma,” she hastily corrected, grabbing a broom, and already missing the better company of the older girls._ Well, at least Grandmother was very good with names, because I want to just Curl Up and Die right now, _she ruefully thought._

* * *

 

 

“Mal sounds whipped.” Lonnie laughed at this new picture of Mal, a far cry from the villain all of Auradon pictured her to be.

“Whipped?” Dizzy was horrified. “Evie would never whip Mal.”

“No, no, whipped as in she’d do anything for Evie and wouldn’t be able to tell her no.”

“Oh. That sounds like Mal.”

“That was so beautiful.” Jane teared up a little.

“I mean they had lots of moments, but I feel like that one almost led to something beautiful,” Dizzy insisted.

“Who are you talking about there, Diz.”

The new voice made everyone jump, hearts in their throats. They turned to see Mal leaning on the doorway, with Evie resting her chin on her shoulder, both peering at them in curiosity.

“Oh, I was just telling them your love story,” Dizzy nonchalantly told them, fixing her hair ties, like she just told them that Maleficent was good now and wanted to have tea with Aurora, or like she didn’t just imply that they had a love story.

“WHAT!” The girls appeared to trip over thin air, stumbling into the library.

Jane and Lonnie hurriedly got out of their seats, heading to the door, talking over each other.

“WOULD you look at the time, my Mom really needs me.” Jane motioned to her bare wrist, racing to the door.

“I have to go clean my snake. Maybe you girls should look at the papers,” Lonnie told them, dragging Dizzy with her out of the library.

“YOU DON’T HAVE A SNAKE LONNIE. AND WHAT PAPERS?” Mal screamed back at them, only to be violently shushed by the librarian. For an Auradonian, she sure looked like a harpy.

Evie stepped up to the chairs, picking up the notepad that Lonnie was previously scrawling on. “I think they meant this, M.”

Mal headed towards her ignoring the girls, who still hid behind the doors and peeked at them, eavesdropping.

“Why are we hiding?” Jane whispered to Lonnie.

“Don’t tell me you don’t want to find out what will happen,” Lonnie murmured back, still fixated at the inside of the library.

Dizzy ignored them both, focusing- with barely restrained enthusiasm-on Mal and Evie, who were reading what Dizzy could now tell were all the stories she'd just told.

“You know, we’ve been friends for a while, why am I only _now_ noticing that you were overprotective towards mostly me.” Evie turned to Mal after a few minutes.

“I don’t really know what you’re talking about, Princess.” Mal turned away, trying to hide her furiously blushing cheeks.

“And there,” Evie triumphantly pointed at her, “when did _that_ become a term of endearment and not an insult.”

“Insult?” Jane asked outside the door, but she was violently hushed.

“Well don’t forget how worried _you_ were when I got a little hurt.” Mal gestured wildly in return, like that was a convincing argument to give.

“A _little_ ,” Evie scoffed, “you were bleeding and you sounded drunk over something STUPID.”

“I wasn't drunk! It was the blood loss! I am NOT apologizing, and we are NOT having this argument again.” Mal turned away with her arms tightly crossed.

“Oh yes we are. I didn’t forget about that night Mal. Tell me you are NOT doing it again.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“Mal I can’t lose you, don’t you understand that?” Evie sounded close to tears.

“I do. Oh, E, trust me, I do. But no one gets to talk to you like that. You deserve so much more than that, so much more than _I_ treated you.”

The girls peered in even more, to see what was happening. Mal had a finger underneath Evie’s chin and was wiping away her tears. They couldn’t hear what they were whispering to each other, but they did see how they leaned their foreheads together, closed their eyes and breathed each other in.

“Well, would you look at that,” Lonnie looked down at Dizzy, “I think you just matchmade your parents together.”

Dizzy beamed back up at her and took both of Jane and Lonnie’s arms to drag them away.

“Awww, but I wanted to see what happened.” Jane turned her head to the door, straining to see more with every step that brought them away.

“I think they need their privacy.” Dizzy resisted the urge to look back herself. Hopefully this time nothing would interrupt them.

She now had another moment to add to her little repertoire of memories of them. One more very important moment added to like, a hundred more of them.

“Don’t worry Jane, I have so many other stories to tell.” She now had their undivided attention.

“Did I tell you about the one where Evie stormed into the salon demanding a pair of scissors, cause it was the closest place to her, wanting to gouge Uma’s eyes out.”

“Why?” came Jane’s horrified whisper.

“Weeeell, word on the Isle was that, other than their rivalry, Mal and Uma were _very_ bitter Exes. They left things off in a bad way….” Dizzy continued to regale them with stories, impatient to know the full story of the library.

She was sure after a little begging, she could get them to talk. After all Moms never paid a lot of attention to where she was, she was sure she could get them to talk while they were too busy being lovesick.


End file.
